Ash sifter



Dec. 15 1925.- 1,566,036

P. S. NACHTSHEIM ASH SIFTEH Filed Jan. 26, 1924 w Inventor Peter 5, lladztfi 12cm;

Patented Dec. 15, 1925.

PETER S. NACHTSHEIEVI, OF S1. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

ASH SIFTER.

Application filed January 26, 1924. Serial No. 688,864.

To ((71 Vii/ 10112. 1'2; may concern:

Be it known that I, Prrrun S. NACH'rsHEIM, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of lhlinnesota, have invented certain new and use.,.il Improvements in Ash Sifters, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to ash sifters. p

In the construction of a device for removing line ash from larger portions which may contain unburned. coal, it is desirable that the cost of the device be kept at a minimum, that moving parts be eliminated wherever. possible, and that the device be con structed with the utmost simplicity. It is uls desirable that the device function with a production of a minimum amount of dust. An object of the present invention is to make an ash sifter which will perform the operation required with an increased efiiciency.

Another object of the invention is to improve and'siniplify an ash shifter.

In order to attain these objects, there is provided, in accordance with oneafeature of the invention, a laterally pivoted box-like container, means for inserting ashes therein, a foraminous member laterally disposed therein, a self actuating door to release sifted ash at each operation of the device, and a manually operated door which will release the reclaimed coal and larger ash by gravity at a predeterminedtime.

These and other features of the invention will be more fully brought out in the following description and accon'ipanying drawings, wherein r i I Figure 1 a view in isometric projection of a device made in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 shows a self actuating door in the process of discharging sifted ash. I

Figure 3 shows a bracket which, with the aid of a spring. tends to resiliently maintain the device in a horizontal position; and

Figure 4. is a view of the foraminous 1nemher. showing method of supporting it.

Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein the same reference characters are used to denote similar parts throughout the drawings A denotes generally a box-like container, which may be constructed of sheet metal, and B denotes a standard therefor.

The standard B as here shown is composed of angularly disposed legs 1 and 2, cross braced 1n any suitable manner and having bearings 3 integral with the top portion thereof. Mounted in the bearings o is a pivot 4, which may be one end of a rod, extending entirely through the container A, or a short rod fastened to each side of the boxlike-container by means of a plate 5.

Extending vertically upward from one side of standard B and fastened thereto in any suitable manner, is an upright 6 which may be of angle iron, and which should extend above the container to a height suflicient to permit the action of a spring 7, the purpose of which will be brought out later. A piece of strap metal is here shown fastened to the frame at 8 and another at 9, and

and spaced therefrom a slight distance is a screen or mesh 1A which may be of heavy wire, supported by any suitable means, as, for instance, on supports formed by bending down the edges of a piece of wire mesh, as illustrated in Figure An aperture 15 is cut in the forward end of the container extending from a line approximately on the level of the mesh, to the top of the front of the container, and a door 16 hinged at its top to the container may be secured in place to tightly cover this aperture by means of fasteners 17 of any suitable type. A. narrow aperture 18 provided across the lower part of the rear end of the container, and the height of this aperture is not to exceed the height of the mesh from the floor. Hinged to the coutainer at the top of aperture 18 is a door 19, sufliciently large to cover the aperture. This door is free to rotate about a hinge 20 at all times, and a weight 21, integral with the door, causes it to open when the container is tilted in the manner shown in Figure 2, so that the rear end thereof is lower than the front end.

A receiver 22 of any suitable design, is here shown as a scoop, which may be of a Ill) size to permit the mouth thereof to enter the door of a heating plant, not shown, wlth which it is to be used.

The spring 7 is fastened at one end to a stud 24 on the upright member 6, while the other end thereof engages a stud 25 in a bracket 26 fastened to the container. The method of affixing the bracket to the container is shown in Figure 3 and is apparent without further description.

Handles 27 and 28 are aflixed to the doors 10 and 16, respectively, to facilitate the opening and closing thereof. A handle 29 is also provided to facilitate the rocking back and forth of container A in the operation of the device. Scoop 22 is also provided with a handle 30 on either side to aid in the manipulation thereof.

A hook 31 is pivotally secured to leg 1 and is of a length to engage a pin 32, integral with the container when the container is tilted forward so that its front end is lowered.

The operation of the device is as follows:

Door 16 is secured in place by fasteners 17, the forward end of the container is tilted downward and pin 32 is engaged by hook 31 so as to hold the container in this tilted position. It should be noted that the point of hook 31 is upward, and that the friction of the pin 32 against the hook 31 holds it from falling and releasing the pin. When'in this position spring 7 is extended to dotted line position 33 shown in Figure 1 and the tension of the spring when so extended tends to return the container to a horizontal position. Cover 10 is then opened and ashes inserted through aperture 12. lVhen a sufficient quantity of ashes has been introduced into the container, the weight of the ashes overcomes thetension of the spring 7 and lowers the front of the container. This releases hook 31 and permits it to fall clear of the pin 32, thus indicating that asufficient quantity of ashes is in the container. Cover 10 is then closed and secured in place by fastener 13. Handle 29 may then be seized and the container rocked slowly back and forth.

As the container is inclined to the rear, the ashes are carried by gravity across the mesh 1% in a rearward direction. The liner particles of ash drop through the mesh to the bottom of the container, run down the inclined bottom thereof, and are discharged through the aperture 18 into any suitable container, not shown. The larger particles, containing the unburned coal which it is 1,5ce,oae

til)

since they are too large to pass through it. I

The spring 7 is again extended when the container is tilted to the rear, as indicated in dotted line 34, and the tension of the spring again facilitates the return of the container to a horizontal position.

\Vhen the fine ash has been removed after a few tilting operations, latches 17 are turned to permit the door 16 to open, the container is tilted forward and the ashes remaining above the mesh are carried by gravity into the scoop 22. From the scoop 22 they may be placed in a storage receptacle, not shown, or directly into a heating plant, as desired.

The ope 'ative parts being entirely enclosed, reduces to a minimum the amount of dust caused by the use of the device, and the extreme simplicity of design assures a minimum cost of construction and replacement due to wear.

What I claim is:

1. An ash sifter comprising a pivoted container, a door in the top thereof for inserting ashes in the container, a screen positioned transversely of the container, in spaced relation from the bottom thereof, a weighted door pivotally mounted in a wall of the container below the transversely positioned screen, handle means to impart a reciprocal tilting motion to the container, and resilient means for-returning the container to a neutral condition after each rcciprocation thereof.

2. An ash sifter, comprising a pivoted container, means for inserting ashes in the container, a compartment beneath the container and contiguous thereto, a foraminous member intermediate the container and the compartment, means to resiliently sustain the container in a predetermined position, self-releasing locking means to lock the container and retain it against the spring ten sion to be released from said locking means when a predetermined weight of ashes has been inserted in the container, means to impart a reciprocal tilting motion to the container to cause ashes to pass to and fro across the foraminous'member to drop the finer ash particles into the compartment beneath the container, and gravity actuated meansfor discharging said finer ash particles from said compartment at a predetermined point in each cycle of the reciprocal tilting motion of the container;

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

PETER S. NACHTSHEIM. 

